Braves learning a hard lesson on aging pitchers

By Bud L. Ellis 

ATLANTA -- As the Atlanta Braves prepared to leave Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and close spring training, the franchise that built its success on pitching felt pretty good about 2008.

After five years with the New York Mets, Tom Glavine had returned home to provide stability to the middle of the starting rotation. Mike Hampton threw the ball great in spring and looked poised to return to the majors for the first time since August 2005. And John Smoltz was coming off three very successful seasons as a starter.

But you know what they say about the best-laid plans …

Here we sit on June 11, and combined, the three veteran hurlers have five victories this season. And that number isn’t going to change anytime soon:

Smoltz underwent season-ending surgery Tuesday and has a damaged labrum in his right shoulder. Whether or not the future Hall of Famer can pitch again will be determined in the months to come, but initial reports don’t look favorable for the only man in major league history to win more than 200 games and earn more than 150 saves.

Hampton, who injured a pectoral muscle in his chest while warming up for his major-league return on April 3, has started throwing again. But still, there’s no reason to hold our breaths the lefty can make it all the way back, even if he’s targeting a return for sometime after the All-Star break.

Then there is Glavine, who made his first career disabled-list appearance in April. Glavine left Tuesday’s game in Chicago after three innings with a strained elbow, one that the left-hander admitted following the game has bothered him for a month. The Braves placed Glavine on the disabled list after last night’s game, a 10-5 loss to open a 10-game road trip that just might bury Atlanta’s remaining playoff hopes.

Clearly, the plans for Smoltz, Glavine and Hampton to augment Tim Hudson and Jair Jurrjens in the Braves’ rotation have fallen apart. As a result, Atlanta has turned to youngster Jo-Jo Reyes and little-known Jorge Campillo to round out the rotation, and now in all likelihood will promote promising hard-thrower Charlie Morton to replace Glavine.

Not like the old days, is it, when Braves’ starters almost never got hurt. You could count on Smoltz, Glavine and Greg Maddux to top 200 innings year-in, year-out, and supplemented by a Steve Avery or Denny Neagle or Kevin Millwood, that was more than enough to vault this team into the postseason every October.

But not now. Smoltz likely is done. Glavine may be out for an extended period of time (he’ll be examined today in Atlanta). Hampton? The skeptics howl at the mere mention of his name.

So, what do the Braves do? After Morton, the next option in the minors is recently signed Brian Lawrence, a 15-game winner (and a 15-game loser, mind you) at one time who is recovering from arm surgery and who the Braves signed from an independent-league team.

This team has plenty of problems, from clutch hitting to an overworked bullpen. Trading for one quality starter – Maddux’s name has been mentioned – probably won’t fix things unless this team discovers how to win on the road (7-22 this season) and how to win close games (3-17 in one-run affairs).

Better not to trade the farm for a quick fix, especially if it’s Maddux. One of the greatest athletes of our generation and one of the nicest guys you’d ever want to cover, Maddux is not the answer. The trip down memory lane is fine sitting by the fireplace in December. In the heat of June, with the pennant race pulling out of sight, the Braves can ill-afford to act with haste.

Better to let the kids – Reyes, Campillo, Morton – earn their stripes and (more than likely) take their lumps now. The payoff could be great starting in 2009, a year that draws more and more in focus with each mounting loss and injury.

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